Swing Life Away [open]

No people, no noise, no chaos. It was just her, alone, with the singing birds.

She breathed in deep, listening to the creak of the hinges as she swung up, kicking her feet. This place was tucked away from the rest of town. Did anybody at Beata even know it was here? Kayla swung back down, still staring up at the sky. Streaks of gold and purple. It was almost dusk.

Fearghas never had any intent to meet anybody new when he went out to Rosebury.  Sure, he knew it might be nice to meet new people and all, maybe help him adjust to the new area, but this chick, whoa-ho did he not like her when she stepped up.  She seemed so sure of herself, strutted up to him, telling him to follow her and listen close to what she told him to do.  At first he scoffed, who did she think she was?  But her voice, and that little glint in her eyes, it was so...bewitching.  He just had to follow this girl, just had to.  So he followed her as she picked up a second boy.  He had the same reaction, and he could tell, through some smoke and mirrors, this was all very very bad.  But her voice was intoxicating and he just had to keep listening, she had to know what to send him to do.  

Her little entourage marched up to a girl wearing a black and grey hat. Hello Kayla, the words echoed throughout his head as his brown eyes studied the form before him.  She wore the beat-up hat and seemed to dress very modestly for most girls her age.  He crossed his arms, the sleeves of his orange jacket covering his chest, he pondered why this lady knew the other.  He hoped deep down it wasn't hostile, but the air certainly felt like it...This was not going to end well.

A break from his maths was all Joseph had been intending to do, and then all of a sudden, half way through his third cigarette of the walk, a girl - one he felt as though he'd seen before, actually - sauntered up to him with a sly grin and a hidden intent, a rather dazed-looking boy in tow. He'd began to ask them to step aside so he could be on his way, but something about the blonde caused his words to falter on his tongue. She asked him to follow her, and he ended up doing just that. Why? He couldn't quite put his finger on it. This girl had some sort of allure about her. It was strange. Joseph normally wasn't the sort of man who was drawn in by smiles and fluttering eyelashes..

The Winter eventually stopped questioning the strangeness of his intrigue with this girl and followed closely behind her until their shoes hit grass. The trio halted altogether before a girl on a swing.

Aspen was simply strolling around, happy to be back at Beata the autumn had stopped at the bakery to say hello to her former employers. She wasn't surprised to find out she didn't have a job there no longer. Although they were kind enough to give her some left overs that would have spoiled over night. Munching on a cookie Aspen had bumped into a group of somewhat people. Aspen had remembered on of them. Kayla! She was on her team in the soccer game against Leo. Taking a bite out of the cookie Aspen had called out cheerfully giving her a smile. "Kayla! Hey!" The blonde had said with a smile before saying another thing. "Been awhile since i've seen you!"

occ: omg so rusty ;----;

That voice shattered the silence. It'd been awhile, but she didn't forget an encounter like that so easily, especially when she left her with a few souvenirs... She still had burns from the spray of acid that'd been flecked across her chest. Kayla leapt off the swing and landed in the sawdust, a ripple of electricity tracing up her arms and around her shoulders. Her expression was shadowed by the bill of her cap as she turned, the corners of her lips twisting into a scowl. There were three of them blocking the exit to the park.

"More puppets?" She raised her hand in front of her, lightning flowing over her fingers. Aspen was standing there too, giving a cheery wave. "Long time no see..." she murmured, not hiding her exasperation. Was she with her? Or was she just an idiot? Did she not realize what was happening? Kayla's gaze traveled over to the other blonde standing at the park entrance, with that same old lady-like smile on her face. Who could forget a face like that? "What the hell do you want? Was the last time not enough for you?" Her only regret was that she hadn't managed to smash in those perfect teeth. Of course, that bitch had run away with her tail between her legs and let her servants handle her dirty work for her. Did she track her here? For what? Kayla's hand curled into a loose fist. From the look of the two blank-eyed guys beside her, it didn't look like she'd come to apologize.

Ohh, harsh. This certainly wasn't going to end well.  Fearghas had the urge to just walk away from this but it was overtaken by the feeling of this girl's eyes in the back of his head.  He stood strong as these fearless and absolutely abhorrent things were said about this random chick and her background.   

Another thought tried to push through the fog of his mind...this beautiful and rosy voiced girl is a raging bitch.  But the pros pushed the cons out again, the fog of his head a wall that wasn't going down anytime soon.  He didn't know what to say but clench his teeth as thoughts of anger began to flare at the innocent-not-so-innocent girl in front of him.  They seemed to push through the fog effortlessly and it almost hurt his head to try to push them out.  

This girl's voice was full of venom but it still flowed into his head like the sweetest music, but his head still took what she was saying into account, this Kayla girl was cocky, Fearghas wasn't a huge fan of cocky people, especially when they consider themselves better than everyone else.  His teeth ground as he tried to sort out the various thoughts racing through his head, this girl looked pretty good, she looked like a bitch, this girl spoke with authority and confidence, no she spoke like a cocky piece of shit.  All he could manage on his face was a dazed expression of confusion as a battle of thoughts fought in the fog of his mind... 

He would need a drink after this...

Normally, Joseph would be repulsed by someone as narcissistic as Valerie. Although he couldn't say he'd ever met Kayla before, a person's background didn't really matter to him. He'd become acquainted with both men and women of all ages with very messy pasts. He'd met a retired Romanian prostitute on a train before and had a casual conversation about dogs with her. He'd spent an entire summer afternoon chatting with a former drug dealer on probation at the age of sixteen. The list went on and on, and the pasts of the people he'd met ranged from average to freakishly terrible. Joseph saw no value in wasting effort judging somebody for their childhood circumstances or adolescent choices.

Currently, though, none of these thoughts would even register properly in his head. The Winter could only stand there, blankly watching the electrical energy dance around erratically in the air as Valerie threw insults at this girl with the black-and-white cap. A small part of him was nagging at his brain to turn and leave, but the nagging sensation was easily overshadowed by a much more powerful, cloudy will that he couldn't explain. He had to stay. He had no choice. Whatever command this mysterious sensation in his mind gave him, he would follow. While Joseph couldn't explain the feeling, he would heed its authority over him nonetheless.

ooc: I hate this post but I'm tired and sick and shouldn't keep people waiting, so you'll have to deal with this melodramatic crap. Gomen. (シ_ _)シ

No, no, no, no. Even before she finished speaking, Kayla seemed to shrink, pulling further into herself. How the hell do you know that? She meant to say it, but the words choked in her throat, and she was just left standing there with her mouth hanging open. Her hand drooped. She couldn't think, she couldn't... The blood was roaring in her ears, and she could hear the thump of her heartbeat against her rib cage.

She felt herself coiling up like a spring, and then it hit her.

The anger swelled up all at once, twisting her guts into knots, flaring up into a white-hot fury that poured fire into her limbs. Lightning cracked behind her and coursed down her arms and legs, snapping and spitting out from her fingertips. She felt nauseous. No, more than that, she felt like she was about to burst. Hate. That's what it was. It burned, from her core to her fingertips, every synapse and inch of her body. Hate, hate, hate. A messy, singular, indistinct hate rushed through her bloodstream like electricity, filling her with a sudden explosion of emotion. All her mocking words shot straight through her and kept going, and what felt like years of unfocused bitterness and resentment suddenly had a face and a target. Only one coherent thought entered her mind, and that thought consumed her.

I'll fucking kill you.

She couldn't think. Not right now, when all she could see was her. Kayla pulled back her fist and shot forward, her eyes locked on Valerie's.

Fearghas ground his teeth at the order...crush her.  Something pushed through the fog and it was an emotional memory he liked to forget, an altercation with his dear old da, one guy was left knocked out and three had broken noses.  He couldn't forget his ma's face as he drove her to the hospital with blood running down his own face.  But Val's voice trounced that memory and he began to walk towards the girl, his conflicted face turning to an angry snarl, baring his teeth.  He raised his fists within arms distance, his feet six inches apart covering his body and jaw like he always learned to avoid getting knocked out.  But that memory bounced in his head...this girl wasn't a girl, the fog tried to push the memory back but all it did was make his grip on reality loosen, now all he saw in front of him was a drunk man with blood on his knuckles.  He clenched his teeth for a second before snarling and screaming out "You fucking piece of shite, you hurt her!"  And he swung and  feigned a large right hook for a his left hand to come up right under the nose of the assailant in an uppercut with all of his power.

And just like that, a visceral hatred washed over Joseph's emotional plane like a wave. It swamped his characteristically mild mind and filled every fibre of his being with alien thoughts that were far from being his own. He knew that much. the anger was undeniable, though, and as hard as he tried to push it out of his consciousness, it only pushed back more ferociously. His right hand clamped around the smooth rubber handle of the axe fastened at his hip, which he had been using earlier for a combat lesson. He hadn't been planning on using it for anything other than sparring today, but now, he felt the uncontrollable urge to bury the blade between Kayla's eyes. The Winter's face contorted into a spiteful frown, dark amber eyes glittering with disdain. Trash. The word that kept repeating in Joseph's head like a broken record, fuelling his artificial fury. The trash had to be disposed of, and what better person than he to do that job?

Joseph tore the axe out of its holder and dashed forward, swinging it wildly towards his electrified target.

They were both rushing towards her. Two boys she'd never seen before, one with an ax, one coming at her with his bare fists, bloodlust filling their vacant stares. Out of my way, out of my way, out of my way...! She didn't care who they were, why they were helping her, or how they'd gotten roped into this. All she cared about was smashing in that snake's sneering face. If they were going to try and stop her, then she'd crush them too, even if she had to fucking kill them both!

Kayla skid to a stop, stepping aside to avoid the swoop of the ax. It went slicing an inch past her, catching on her shirt and ripping open a small tear in the fabric. And then the other one was rushing toward her, screaming familiar words that barely even registered in her ears. She leaned back to avoid the right hook, but the uppercut caught her off guard, connecting with a sharp impact that made her ears ring. Stars flashed in her vision as she went stumbling back from the punch. You bastard... Tasting blood on her tongue, she shook her head, bringing both her assailants back into focus. I'll fucking kill you! Electricity danced at her fingertips as she draw her fist back, ready for the follow-up.

Fearghas' eye twitched as the thought of his father threw a log in the fire in his belly. Fearghas looked his adversary in the eye as he attempted to close the distance between the two. After the few steps he raised his hands in front of him, grasping for the throat of whatever this...thing was in front of him.

He put all of his weight into the throw, being so close, he could of bet she wouldn't be able to sidestep him like she did with ax-wielder. He was going to rip the life out of it, whether he tore her apart or he choked the air out of her. He didn't care anymore, it just needed to die...it, not her, it. This was nothing more than a thing, an abomination and it deserved what it got. The face was sometype of blur, and his head hurt more than anything, but he had only one mission, the death of this unholy thing. And he'd accomplish it, even if it killed him, he didn't need reality to do that.

There wasn't any time to move out of the way. His hand shot forward and gripped her by the neck with a strength and rage that could've lifted her up from the ground. She let out a choked gasp, lights flashing in her vision, and threw out a blind fist toward his ribs, lightning crackling across her knuckles. Her heels dug into the sawdust as she leaned back as far back as he would allow. Kayla's other hand gripped at his wrist, her nails digging into his skin, but she couldn't pry him away.

Fucker, fucker, fucker... This was all about putting her in her place? Because she'd bumped into her in a hallway? Memories swan around her head as his grasp around her neck tightened, blurriness filling her vision, memories of Lain's coughing and father's shouting and mother strewn across the bathroom floor, staring out at nothing. Kayla could hear the taunting, hear the names, hear the cries. All these things she'd thought she'd put out of her mind, every single time someone had come up and hit her from behind, or jumped her on her way to school, or snatched her hat away and dashed down the halls. It all came surging forward to the surface. Lightning fluctuated down her face, her arms, her waist.

She pulled up her leg and stomped forward at the boy's knee, like she was trying to bend it backwards.

Fearghas clenched his teeth as fire burned in his eyes, end end end.  He was losing it but all he could think about was choking every inch of life from her and he was going to accomplish it.  A fist landed what felt like weakly against his ribs, he let out an enraged scream as he tried to pull her back towards him.  But he saw her begin to raise her leg and quickly turned his knee, feeling the full force of her foot on the side of his right knee.  A pop resounded and Fearghas yelped, though the pain only tightened his grip on her throat as he tried to pull her down to his right side where his knee could rest as it was buckling quickly.  He didn't know how he was holding on, but he was going to make sure she stayed down and his tongue was burning and blood began to drip from his mouth.  He had bit his tongue.  He still couldn't care though as the evil thoughts kept pushing into his head and keeping him seeing red, red red all red...